Roosters believe in their NRL youth
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The Sydney Roosters believe enthusiasm can outweigh inconsistency in their young squad as they kept their NRL season alive with a spirited 42-28 win over Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
The Roosters are only two wins out of the top eight, but after four straight losses it was crucial confidence was restored for a team that has just three players older than 25.
Players from both sides found it difficult to talk about rugby league post-match, given news came through just over an hour before kick-off that Sonia Farah, the mother of Tigers captain Robbie, had lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.
But after a moving minute’s silence that brought Benji Marshall and other Tigers players to tears, the show went on.
In a thrilling exhibition of attacking football, 12 tries were scored.
The Roosters got out to a 24-4 halftime lead, before the Tigers came back from 36-10 down with 19 minutes left to give the Roosters a major scare – with Keith Galloway, Beau Ryan, Tim Moltzen and Chris Lawrence all scoring in close succession.
They got within eight points with eight minutes left, but in the end the Roosters thoroughly deserved their victory as the Tigers had their seven-match winning run broken in front of 20,327 fans.
“When the Tigers get a bit of a roll on you know about it. We talked about it at halftime … but defending it is another thing,” said Roosters captain and 2013 Tigers recruit Braith Anasta – whose own mother, Kim has battled cancer over recent years.
Roosters coach Brian Smith said the veterans in his team, Anasta and Anthony Minichiello, played a major role in rallying the Rooster rookies during the week to overcome their recent struggles and misfortune.
“I just thought it was a real measure of the quality of guys we have here in our squad,” said Smith.
“The way we started the game today you could smell it in the dressing rooms, the body language of all our guys.
“For our younger blokes to be confident given we’ve lost four in a row I reckon that’s a real credit to them.
“As far as the end goal to make the playoffs … we need to get on our bikes.”
It was a try-scoring feast for the Roosters, with props Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Lama Tasi and Martin Kennedy among the try-scorers, as well as back-rowers Aidan Guerra and Boyd Cordner.
And it was giant lock Frank-Paul “the wrecking-ball” Nuuausala who was arguably best on ground, setting up two tries and getting away six offloads in an explosive first half.
However, for a team which has lapsed in and out of games in recent weeks, the turning point of the match came in the first half when Minichiello produced arguably the try-saver of the year on Ben Murdoch-Masila – allowing the visitors to maintain a 12-4 lead and lay the platform for victory.
“I just gave him my best shot and the ball came out, I don’t know how,” he said.
The Roosters have struggled all year for consistency, both within games and week-to-week, but Minichiello said the team plans to use their youth and inexperience to their advantage.
“It’s been pretty positive around training because it’s such a young group,” he said. We didn’t sulk.”
© AAP 2013
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The Crowd Says (8) | Page 1 of Comments
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June 18th 2012 @ 10:36am
Pot Stirrer said | June 18th 2012 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Now if we could just do something about mitchell pearces kicking game.
June 18th 2012 @ 11:47am
jdubya said | June 18th 2012 @ 11:47am | Report comment
maloney is on his way.
Anyway it’s exciting looking toward next year as a Roosters fan, Evans , RTS and Moga alone have tthe potential to be anything. then throw in Kennedy, Cordner, JWH and Guerra along with Pearce, Maloney, Mini and hopefully SBW. Now lets get these young guys some finals experience this year.
June 18th 2012 @ 4:33pm
Meesta Cool said | June 18th 2012 @ 4:33pm | Report comment
Roosters have the BEST recruitment person in the league, The guy that ‘discovered Slater, Cronk, Smith, Falou when no one wanted them, I have said for the past two years that this guy can do the same for Roosters, they just have to rid themselves of the “We need SBW’ (And other over rated has beens) mode of thinking. Good Forwards are apearing at all clubs, why chase self minded individuals who had the talent and wasted it!.
As you stated some of these kids are starting to come through the ranks, – it was bound to happen!..
June 19th 2012 @ 11:57am
jdubya said | June 19th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
SBW is only in his mid 20s and is far and away the most gifted player I have ever seen, apart from Joey. Locky and Freddy had talent and toughness but SBW is a match winner and has the ability to inspire the young blokes around him. Not to mention the marketing exposure he will bring the chooks and the NRL, we might finally start getting some people to the ggames.
June 19th 2012 @ 12:01pm
Meesta Cool said | June 19th 2012 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
Ooops, Meesta Cool wrong again, out comes the Roosters bottomless cheque book, totempt yet another ‘ready made young gun’ to ‘Chuckland’.
My thoughts this morning go out to Manly fans everywhere, — their team is being ‘ripped apart because they are TOO successful’…. something needs to be done to stop this salary cap mess!. – what of Manly’s future they have been outbid on several of their young stars this year, IT’s WRONG.
June 18th 2012 @ 1:51pm
Bearfax said | June 18th 2012 @ 1:51pm | Report comment
‘Belief in their youth’. More like belief in the youth they have consistently taken from other clubs. But that’s OK because it ensures those players get to play at the top grade. Sydney City have survived by their clever nabbing of other teams players and like Manly, ,Crunulla, Wests and now the Hasler run Canterbury etc , they have shrewdly recognised that paying out big bucks like Parramatta, Souths, Newcastle etc for established players,often leaves you short of players. Better to check out the much cheaper but potentially just as talented juinors playing in various lower grades. Personally I have nothing against grabbing a junior below Toyota Cup level because most clubs have done very little to deserve the youth there other than through location. Good luck Sydney City.
June 18th 2012 @ 4:38pm
Gareth said | June 18th 2012 @ 4:38pm | Report comment
The Roosters have really benefited from hiring Peter O’Sullivan, even though you’d have to question why a guy so complicit in the Storm Rorts is allowed to ply his trade anywhere. They could use some decent halves and a decent fullback, but the foundations certainly seem to be there in the forwards.
June 18th 2012 @ 11:51pm
Meesta Cool said | June 18th 2012 @ 11:51pm | Report comment
Once again Gareth, — nothing was ever truly proven on ‘the rorts’, that is the only reason that several people are still around the game, there was a lot of hearsay, but not a lot of factual evidence, the Police didn’t charge anyone, the tax office either.
Peter will find the young guys, it is up to Roosters to back his judgement. and stop buying ‘used goods’ at inflated prices!.